Challenges - (Worlds of Honor (Weber)) by David Weber (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In Honor Harrington's day, the Star Kingdom of Manticore is the wealthiest star nation on a per capita basis in the entire galaxy. It is home to magnificent cities. Its planets' oceans and seas-and skies-are open to its people, yet they have maintained the beauty and the magnificence of their natural habitats. But that was not always true. Pioneers, especially interstellar pioneers, must be tough, smart, and self-reliant, and the people who built the Star Kingdom knew that. They prepared carefully for their enormous voyage, incorporated every measure they could think of, and even so, their new worlds did their best to kill them all. They very nearly succeeded, as the Plague Years pushed the human interlopers to the very brink of survival, forcing them to grow and change in ways they never could have anticipated. In the process, they became the people who could one day produce Honor Harrington, Elizabeth Winton, and the remarkable people willing to stand in the path of the People's Republic of Haven's insatiable advance ... and then to ally with the Republic when both of them learned who their true enemy was. In many ways, that fortitude was the inevitable result of a star nation that learned early on that what truly matters is the way one faces the challenges the universe throws at one. These are the stories of people who learned that lesson, and met--and triumphed--over every challenge of their new homes. All original stories by: David Weber, Marisa Wolf, Jacob Holo with Thomas Pope, Dan Butler, and Jane Lindskold"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

THE HOTTEST MILITARY SCIENCE FICTION SERIES OF ALL TIME CONTINUES WITH A COLLECTION OF TALES SET IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE STAR KINGDOM OF DAVID WEBER'S NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING HONORVERSE

In Honor Harrington's day, the Star Kingdom of Manticore is the wealthiest star nation on a per capita basis in the entire galaxy. It is home to magnificent cities. Its planets' oceans and seas--and skies--are open to its people, yet they have maintained the beauty and the magnificence of their natural habitats.

But that was not always true. Pioneers, especially interstellar pioneers, must be tough, smart, and self-reliant, and the people who built the Star Kingdom knew that. They prepared carefully for their enormous voyage, incorporated every measure they could think of, and even so, their new worlds did their best to kill them all. They very nearly succeeded, as the Plague Years pushed the human interlopers to the very brink of survival, forcing them to grow and change in ways they never could have anticipated.

In the process, they became the people who could one day produce Honor Harrington, Elizabeth Winton, and the remarkable people willing to stand in the path of the People's Republic of Haven's insatiable advance . . . and then to ally with the Republic when both of them learned who their true enemy was. In many ways, that fortitude was the inevitable result of a star nation that learned early on that what truly matters is the way one faces the challenges the universe throws at one.

These are the stories of people who learned that lesson, and met--and triumphed--over every challenge of their new homes.

All original stories by: David Weber, Marisa Wolf, Jacob Holo, Dan Butler, Thomas Pope, and Jane Lindskold.

Worlds of Honor anthologies:
More Than Honor
Worlds of Honor
Changer of Worlds
Service of the Sword
In Fire Forged
Beginnings
What Price Victory?

Review Quotes

Praise for Challenges:
"Combat action and top characterization run hand in hand." --Midwest Book Review

Praise for David Weber and the Honor Harrington series:
". . . everything you could want in a heroine. . . . excellent . . . plenty of action." --Science Fiction Age

"Packs enough punch to blast a starship to smithereens . . ." --Publishers Weekly on Honor the of Queen

"Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!" --Anne McCaffrey on Echoes of Honor

"Compelling combat combined with engaging characters for a great space opera adventure." --Locus on Field of Dishonor

"Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice . . ." --Publishers Weekly on Mission of Honor

"The plotting is as solid as ever, with smaller scenes building to an explosive, action-packed crescendo, and the authors strike a nice balance between technical details of space flight and the human cost of war." --Publishers Weekly on A Call to Arms

About the Author

With more than eight million copies of his books in print and 33 titles on the New York Times bestseller list, David Weber is a science fiction powerhouse. In the vastly popular Honor Harrington series, the spirit of C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower and Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander lives on--into the galactic future. Books in the Honor Harrington and Honorverse series have appeared on 29 bestseller lists, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today. Additional Honorverse collaborations include the spin-off miniseries Manticore Ascendant with New York Times best-selling author, Timothy Zahn; and with Eric Flint, Crown of Slaves and Cauldron of Ghosts contribute to his illustrious list of New York Times and international bestseller lists.

Best known for his spirited, modern-minded space operas, Weber is also the creator of the Oath of Swords fantasy series and the Dahak saga, a science fiction and fantasy hybrid. Weber has also engaged in a steady stream of best-selling collaborations: the Starfire Series with Steve White; The Empire of Man Series with John Ringo; the Multiverse Series with Linda Evans and Joelle Presby; the Ring of Fire Series with Eric Flint; and the Gordian Division Series with Jacob Holo.

David Weber makes his home in South Carolina with his wife and children.